Course Syllabus

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Semester & Location:

Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:

Child Development, Gender Studies, Sociology
Prerequisite:

None
Faculty Members:

Deivida Vandzinskaite 
Time & Place:

Monday/Thursday, 11.40-13.00, 

Classroom: N7-B12

 

Description of Course

What is a family? The family unit has long been considered by many to be the critical building block and pivotal societal institution. Over the course of many generations in countless cultures, the concept of family itself has been defined and redefined according to time, place, circumstance, and players. Notions concerning dating, marriage, and family are often controversial topics. With growing lifespans, shifts in paid work experiences, changing religious perspectives, technological changes, immigration patterns, shifting media representations, and innovative lifestyles, the concept of a traditional family is most certainly changing. From a sociological perspective, studying families is an integral part of the discipline. From a global perspective, studying families from a cross-national or comparative perspective is crucial in order to understand how social context influences family life.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to …

  • Critically assess research literature on family studies;
  • Recognize, define, and understand theoretical and methodological approaches to studying diverse families from a sociological perspective;
  • Identify problems and frame research questions related to the study of the family;
  • Examine families sociologically from a cross-cultural perspective;
  • Apply course concepts to your own life experiences;
  • Increase ability to work productively as a part of a ‘research’ group; and
  • Demonstrate recognition and openness regarding diversity in family formation.

 

Readings

  • McDonald, L., Kragh, N. (2010, December) Is it better to bring up kids in Denmark? The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/01/uk-denmarkchildren-family-swap 
  • Gittins, D. 1998. The Family in Question: What is the Family? Is it Universal?, Pp. 1- 11 in Shifting the Center: Understanding Contemporary Families, edited by Susan J. Ferguson. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield. 
  • Neto, F. 2007. Love styles: A cross-cultural study of British, Indian, and Portuguese college students, Journal of Comparative Family Studies 38(2): 240-254.
  • Armstrong, E. A., England, P., and Alison C.K. Fogarty. 2009. Orgasm in College Hookups and Relationships. Pp. 362-377 in Families as They Really Are, edited by Barbara Risman. New York: W.W. Norton.
  • The Danish Way of Parenting: A guide to raising the happiest children in the world, 2014.
  • Bach, A.S. 2015. Between Necessity and Delight Negotiating Involved Fatherhood among Career Couples in Denmark, Women, Gender & Research, No.1: 54-66.
  • Kroløkke, Ch., and Pant, S. 2012. ‘I only need her uterus’: Neo-liberal Discourses on Transnational Surrogacy, NORA: Nordic Journal of Women's Studies 20(4): 233-248.
  • Wehner et al. 2003. Demography of the Family: The Case of Denmark, University of York: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/nordic/denmdemo.PDF 
  • Amato, P.T., Kane, J.B., and Spencer, J. 2011. Reconsidering the ‘Good Divorce’, Family Relations 60(5): 511-524.
  • Breivik, K., and Olweus, D. 2006. Children of Divorce in Scandinavian Welfare State: Are they Less Affected than US Children?, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 47(1): 61-74.
  • Yngvesson, B. 2012. Transnational Adoption and European Immigration Politics: Producing the National Body in Sweden, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies Vol. 19 (1), 327-344.

 

Expectations of the Students

Mutual learning atmosphere: The course is based on a student-centered approach with a strong emphasis on class discussions. While my role is to facilitate the course, all of us are responsible for creating a learning space that results in knowledge creation. We will do so through many different individual and cooperative learning activities: reflection tasks, class discussions, group work, workshops, field studies, movie analysis and more. In addition, each of you will be able to act as a researcher and to contribute to the contemporary public debates with your own research results.

Everyone’s opinion counts! Some of the topics that we cover in this course may be controversial and sensitive. You should feel comfortable expressing your personal opinions regarding issues discussed in class. Yet, to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, you must be open to different points of view and express your disagreement respectfully, i.e. in an academic tone. The opportunity to share these diverse perspectives enhances the learning environment!

Evaluation

Guidelines for the written assignments*: All assignments must be double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins. At DIS, one page equals 300 words. You are expected to use correct citing formats (either APA or MLA) on all assignments. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ for guidelines concerning the two different citing formats. *Papers not adhering to these guidelines will be deducted points.

* All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers or projects will be marked down with 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late.

Participation: 

Includes attendance and in-class participation: engaged listening, speaking up in productive ways, participating actively in the learning activities, small group discussions, group work etc., and emailing me responses to readings or discussions if you prefer to be quieter in the large class setting. The grade will include the following parameters:

-  Active and verbal participation in class discussions and field studies. This includes field study assignments, presentations of class material and participation in discussions and debates during the semester.

Family in the News:

In small groups students will have to prepare short (10 min) presentations on the assigned topic.

Interview Assignment:

Interview a Dane on a selected topic, outline the design of your interview (research questions, interview type, interview questions), analyze the interview data and reflect on the interview experience. (4-6 pages).

Gender neutral childhood project

In small groups students will explore Copenhagen during a field study and TikTok videos related to #genderneutrality and complete an assigned task using class time. 

 

Grading

Assignment

Percent
Participation

10%

Family in the News

20%

#Family on TikTok

35 %

Interview Assignment

35%

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

Course Summary:

Date Details Due